Terror To Triumph
Childhood trauma is a taboo subject in that it's deeply emotional for people to learn, talk, and comprehend it. However, healing, true healing, can't come from silence. This podcast digs in to the emotions and reveals the symptoms of what can lead to childhood trauma, AND the tell tell signs that can alert us that something is wrong with the youths in our homes, schools, churches, or wherever. Whether it's physical, mental, verbal, or sexual abuse, this podcast takes a brave head on approach to tackle the difficult subject matters while providing the audience a platform to vent, and reach out for help.
Terror To Triumph
How to Find the Right Therapist for Your Healing Journey
Not all therapists are created equal. And not all therapists are trained to work with trauma.
If you see a therapist who doesn't understand trauma, you can end up feeling:
- Misunderstood
- Retraumatized
- Blamed
- Like therapy doesn't work
But if you find the right therapist—someone who's trauma-informed, compassionate, and skilled—therapy can be transformative.
www.youtube.com/@TERRORTOTRIUMPHLIVE
If you're struggling with self-sabotage, then you don't know where to start.
SPEAKER_00:Welcome to Terror to Triumph. I'm Alfonso, and with me is my co-host Storm. Hey, I got some exciting news for y'all. This is season two. We made it through the first season. Happy New Year, everyone. We're starting 2026 with a fresh season, a new format, and some big changes. I think you're going to love it. Storm, can you believe we're here?
SPEAKER_03:I can. Season two feels so surreal. We came so far, and I'm so grateful to everyone who's been on the journey with us.
SPEAKER_00:For sure, for sure. Absolutely. Let's talk about what's new for season two, okay? First, we're getting shorter. Our episodes are now 30 minutes instead of an hour. We heard you. We know life is busy. We know storage space matters, and we know shorter episodes are easier to digest. So we're keeping the same depth and value, just in a tighter, more focused format. Second, we're going twice a week now. That's right. You heard it here. You're getting two episodes every week now. Saturdays at 8 p.m., our normal time. Structure episodes like this one and all the previous ones. Storm and I will break down important topics, give you practical tools, and provide the education you need to heal. On Tuesdays at 8 p.m., interactive episodes. These episodes will be looser, more controversial, conversational, rather, not controversial, but the topic will be controversial. So Storm and I will talk about childhood trauma and answer your questions. Open up conversation for you to chime in on. Think of it as a live interactive community space. Third, we're going to be live streaming on Pelts Emporium. That's our e-commerce website. If you want to interact with us in real time, head over to www.peltsemporium.com. The podcast will be embedded right on the website. You can watch live, you can ask questions and be a part of the conversation. This is a community show, and we want you to be a part of it. Storm, what are you most excited about in season two?
SPEAKER_03:Honestly, the Tuesday episodes, I love the idea of having real-time conversations with listeners, hearing the stories, answering your questions. That's going to be very powerful.
SPEAKER_00:Agree with that. All right. So let's get into today's topic. We're starting the new year with something practical and essential. I don't know if y'all remember in the last full episode, I mentioned that I was going to get back to you guys with some information about how to reach or find a therapist that's good for you. And that's what this is going to be about: how to find the right therapist for your healing journey. So if you're a trauma survivor like us, finding the right therapist can be life-changing. But it can also be overwhelming. There are so many options, there are so many modalities, so many questions. I'm sure you had a lot already. So tonight, Storm and I are going to break it down. We're going to tell you what to look for, what red flags to avoid, and how to know if a therapist is the right fit for you. All right, let's go. Excuse me for a second. I don't want to burp into the microphone. Excuse me. Like I said, this is live, so y'all know this is live. I couldn't edit that out. Let's start with why this matters so much, okay? Not all therapists are created equal. And not all therapists are trained to work with trauma. So if you see a therapist who doesn't understand trauma, you can end up feeling misunderstood. You can end up feeling re-traumatized. You can end up feeling blamed like it's your fault. And you can even feel like the therapy doesn't work. Well, in that case, it's really not working at all. So if you find the right therapist, however, someone who's trauma-informed, compassionate, and skilled, therapy can be transformative. So what does trauma-informed mean? Trauma-informed therapist understands how trauma affects the brain and nervous system, that your symptoms are survival responses, not character flaws. They understand that healing is nonlinear, that you're that you need safety, trust, control, and a therapeutic relationship. They understand that your body holds trauma, not just your mind. A trauma-informed therapist won't blame you for your trauma. They won't rush you to get over it, they won't minimize your experience, they won't push you into anything you're not ready for, any techniques or anything like that. They won't make you feel judged and they won't make you feel unsafe. Why does that matter, right? Well, the right therapist can help you process your trauma safely. That matters a lot, okay? They can help you rewire your nervous system, they can help you build healthy coping skills, they can help you understand yourself with compassion. Like Storm on her platform teaches about self-love. They can help you understand yourself with self-love, they can help you also reclaim your life. That's what they're there for. The wrong therapist, however, can set you back. They can traumatize you, they can make you feel like healing isn't possible. So finding the right fit is not a luxury, it's essential. The right therapist can change your life, and the wrong one can set you back. So let's make sure you know how to find the right one. Storm.
SPEAKER_03:Okay, what to look for in a trauma-informed derpist? Okay, so you're looking for a derpist. What should you be looking for? Specialized, special, specialized training in trauma. Not all derpists are trained in trauma. Look for derpist who have certifications in trauma-focused derpists, EMDR, Simplomatic, Experience in trauma-focused CBT. We have talked about these things in the last episode. Sensor motor, psychopherpy, experience working with trauma survivors, continue education and trauma treatment. Ask directly. What training do you have in trauma? And it's okay to ask your derpist what kind of training do they have? You're trying to make sure that you're finding the right person. Understanding of trauma motorists, motorized, motor modalities. Modalities. I got time twisted. Different derpist, different derpes work for different people. Here are some common trauma focused modalities. Desensitation and reprocessing helps reprocess trauma memories using bilateral stimulation. Somatic experiencing focus on releasing trauma stored in the body. I had to release stuff that I had in the body. Trauma focused CBT. It helps you challenge, it helps you challenge and change the trauma-related doubts and beliefs. Explores different parts of yourself and how they respond to trauma. Stencil motor psychotherapy combines talk derpy with body awareness. A good therapist would explain their approach and ways it that they might can help you. So once again, fam, you have to make sure that you get the right derpist with the right theme for your right problem. They create safety. From the first session, you should feel safe, heard, believed, and respected. If you don't feel safe, that's a red flag. They let you set the pace. That's right. A trauma-informed derpist won't push you to talk about your trauma before you're ready. They let you build trust first, and that's what it's all about. It's all about building that trust for you to talk. Everybody just isn't gonna come right up and just spill what happened. Remember, we are trauma survivors, and it took me 10 years to come out. They follow your lead, they validate your experience, they should believe you. Acknowledge the impact of your trauma, never minimize or dismiss what you have been through. Help you see your symptoms as a survival responses and not failures. They're transparent. A good derpist will explain their approach, answer your questions, be clear about cost, section, length, and expectations, tell you what to expect from Derby. They have good boundaries. Professional boundaries are important. A Derpist should not share too much about their own life, not be your friend outside of Derby. Maintain confidentiality, be consistent and reliable. They're culturally competent. If you're a person of color, LGBTQ plus or from a marginalized community, find a derpist will understand your your live experiences. Cultural competence competence matters. So remember, the right derpist will make you feel safe, heard, and empowered. If you don't feel that, keep looking. So Alphonse, back to you.
SPEAKER_00:Okay, thanks, Storm. Now let's talk about the red flags. These are signs that therapists may not be on the right track or not safe for that matter. Red flag number one. They outright blame you. If a therapist says things like, you need to forgive and move on, or why didn't you leave? Or you're choosing to stay stuck. That's victim blaming. Leave immediately. From the people that cause their hurt, they minimize it. Or the people that we go to to try to seek help, they minimize it. If your therapist minimizes your trauma, that's a big red flag. If they say things like it wasn't that bad, or other people had it worse, or you should be over this by now, they don't understand trauma. Find somebody else immediately. I'm gonna keep saying that because these red flags mean they are not good for your situation. You need to go. Okay. Excuse me, I know y'all hear me sniffling and stuff. Apologize, it's a little cold in the studio, so bear with me, okay? Red flag number three. Okay, they push you too fast. If they push you to talk about your trauma in the first session, or use techniques you're not ready for, that's a big problem. Healing can't be rushed, and we talked about that before. So red flag number four, they make it about them. Now that's huge. That's huge. Because you're not going to therapy for your therapist. We're not going to therapy to heal your therapist. We're going to because we need the healing, right? So if they make it about them, then that's a huge problem. That's a huge problem. If they talk about their own trauma excessively, if they make sessions about their feelings, if they seek validation from you, that's inappropriate. Therapy is about you, not them. Red flag number five, they don't respect your boundaries. If they contact you outside of sessions inappropriately, no. If they try to be your friend, no. If they share your information without your consent, i.e., if they want a colleague to be in on your therapy session, say an online session, and they don't ask you, that's a violation. Gotta leave immediately. But if they ask and you agree, then it's okay because you feel up to it, you agree to it. But if they don't ask and they just bring somebody on, well, I got somebody online is blah blah blah blah blah. No, I didn't ask for that. Yeah, you got the right to go, so don't hold back. Okay. Red flag number six they don't believe you. What's the point of going to therapy to heal if your healing doesn't come from somebody who believes you? Somebody doesn't believe you, they're just there listening to you drawn on. They don't care. So if they question whether your trauma really happened or suggest that you're exaggerating, that's gaslighting. You deserve to be believed. Okay, if you don't feel safe, you gotta trust your gut. Okay, if something feels off, it probably is. You don't need to justify it, you can leave. Nobody's chaining you down to that chair, so you can go. Red flag number eight. They don't have trauma training. If they come, if you come and you ask them or you call them on the phone and you ask them if they have trauma training, and they admit they don't have it. Well, you can just find somebody that does. General therapy is not enough for trauma survivors, okay? You have to find somebody that does have specialized training, trauma-informed training. Okay, red flags are your nervous system protecting you. Listen to them. You deserve a therapist who's safe, skilled, and trauma-informed. Over to you, Store.
SPEAKER_03:All right, questions to ask during your first segment. Section. This is gonna be good. Okay, so you found the therapist. Now what? How do you know if they're the right fit? And once again, we say the right fit. Here's a question you should ask yourself the first session or consultation about their training. What training do you have in trauma? What motorized, what moralities do you use? How long have you been working with trauma survivors? This matters about their approach. What does trauma derpy look like with you? How do you help clients feel safe? Because your place is supposed to be a safe place in a safe space. Do you use your body based techniques or is it mostly talk or derpy? You need to know about the process. How long does derpy typically take? What can I expect in the first session? How will we know if we're making progress? About the logistics. What's your cancellation policy? Do you take insurance or is it out of pocket? How often do we meet? Do you offer telehealth or in person sessions? Then about fit. Have you worked with clients who experience my type of whatever type of trauma that you're having? What's your approach? If I feel triggered or overwhelmed in session, how do you handle if I don't feel like Well, a good fit. Trust your gut. After the first session, ask yourself did I feel safe? Did they listen to me? Did I feel judged or blamed? Do I feel hopeful about working with them? Can I see myself opening up to them? If the answer to most of these is yes, that's a good sign. If not, it's okay to keep looking. Finding the right therapist is like dating. It may take a few tries. And that's okay. You deserve to find someone who's the right fit. Remember? Now back to you, Alfonso.
SPEAKER_00:Thank you, Storm. All right. Let's get practical. How do you actually find a trauma-informed therapist? You could use directories. These websites let you search for trauma therapists by specialty. Well, therapists by specialty, not trauma therapists by specialty because obviously the trauma is the specialty. So you can go into psychology today. You can go to good therapy. You can go to EMDR International Association.org for short or emdri.org for EMDR therapists. Somatic experiencing international, which is traumahealing.org for somatic therapists. You can filter by trauma, PTSD, childhood abuse, etc. You can even ask for referrals. You can ask your doctor, go to your primary care physician and ask them. You can ask trusted family or friends if you know somebody that's been to a therapist before. You can ask support groups, or you can call your local mental health center. Excuse me. Check insurance. If you have insurance, call your provider and ask for a list of in-network therapists who specialize in trauma. Yeah, insurance is a big part of it. We all know the health industry, we have to have insurance to see some people. Sometimes therapists do not take some types of insurance. So it's important to ask these questions ahead of time. You don't want a big bill on top of trying to heal. So that could be another problem for you later on. So check with insurance with the different therapists and see if your insurance is compatible with them. Consider telehealth online therapy, expand your options. You're not limited to therapists in your area. Platforms like BetterHelp, Talkspace, and EMDR Remote. Make sure they're licensed in your state, though. Okay. Look for sliding scale or low-cost options. If cost is a barrier, you can go to community health centers, often offer sliding scale fees. Some therapists offer reduced rates. OpenPath Collective, that's at OpenPath Collective.org, offers therapy for$30 to$80 a session. Universities with counseling programs offer low-cost therapy with supervised students. You can also schedule consultations. Many therapists offer a free 15-minute consultation. This is where you could use this time to ask those questions and see if you feel comfortable with them. Give it a few sessions too, once you get started. Give it about two to three sessions before deciding if it's a good fit. But if you feel unsafe, you feel judged, you can leave at any time. Okay. It's okay to switch. So don't feel like you're a bad person from switching from one therapist to the next. Okay. If a therapist isn't working out, it's okay to find someone else. You're not stuck. Your healing is more important than their feelings. Okay. Finding the right therapist takes effort, but it's worth it. Okay. Your healing depends on it. All right. Here's what we want you to do this week. Okay? Got some homework for y'all. I want y'all to research therapists. Use directories we mentioned. Make a list of three to five therapists who specialize in trauma. Then reach out and schedule a free consultation. A free consultation, rather. Ask the questions that we gave you. Trust your gut and pay attention to how you feel. Do you feel safe? Do you feel that they listened? Do you feel respected? Then join us Tuesday. Our first interactive episode is Tuesday, January 7th at 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. We'll be answering your questions live. Head to www.peltsemporium to watch and interact with us. Share this episode. If this helped you in the least bit, share it with somebody who needs it. We're dropping episodes twice a week now. So don't miss out on them, okay? One is info, one is QA. So they're all helpful. You know, we we're doing this for you. To you, Storm.
SPEAKER_03:Finding the right therapist is one of the most important steps in your healing journey. Don't settle. You deserve someone who sees you, believes you, and walks with you through this. Remember that.
SPEAKER_00:Absolutely.
SPEAKER_03:Before we go, I want to remind you: season two is here. We're doing this twice a week. Yes. Saturdays are structured like this. Tuesday are interreacted. Bring your questions, your stories, your struggles. We're here for you. And here's how you can support the podcast. Territor Trump is supported by Pelps Emporium. Hoodies, jersey, hats, and other artistic created, I mean, yeah, created items. When you purchase from Pelps Emporium, anything itself crystal corner, the proceeds go directly to supporting Territory Trump. This helps us keep these conversations going and reach more survivors. And if you want to watch us live and interact with us in real time, head to www.kelseemporium.com. The podcast is embedded right on the site. You can watch, come in, and be a part of the community. Remember, we're all beautiful. Alfonso, your final words.
SPEAKER_00:Okay. Happy New Year, everyone. First and foremost. Welcome to season two. This year we're committed to giving you the tools, the knowledge, and the community you need to heal. Finding the right therapist is a huge part of that. So don't give up if the first one isn't a good fit. Keep looking. You deserve someone who understands trauma, who believes in you, who helps you feel safe and doesn't judge. Okay. Healing is possible. It's not easy. It's not fast, but it's real and it takes effort. But you're worth it, okay? The next episode, January 7th at 8 p.m., will be our first interactive episode. Okay. Storm and I will be live answering your questions about trauma, building this community together. Join us at www.pelseimporium.com. And we will, yeah, and we'll be back Saturday, January 11th with another structure episode, and we're going deep into specific therapy modalities, EMDR, Somatic Experiencing, and more. You're gonna want to hear this, okay? I'm Alfonso Pell, together with my co-host Storm. Thank you, Storm, for coming. And this has been Terra to Triumph. If you're watching or listening on another platform, please like, comment, share, and subscribe to our streams and podcasts. Let's make this year the year you reclaim your lives, okay? Thank you for being here. Thank you for trusting us. We applaud you for choosing to heal. Remember, help is only one click away. Good night.
